Courtesy in connection with invitations, telephone conversations, introductions and entertaining guests.


This movie is part of the collection: Prelinger Archives

Producer: Coronet Instructional Films
Sponsor: N/A
Audio/Visual: Sd, B&W
Keywords: Social guidance; Social guidance: Etiquette

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

Individual Files

Write a review
Downloaded 8,545 times Reviews
Average Rating:

Reviewer: JayKay49 - - December 13, 2012
Subject: Not A Trait For Hunkies
This film presented things that are so foreign to me, my sibs, my neighborhood friends, and most relatives I ever knew.

We were just Hunkies (20th century collective term for offspring of immigrants from Yugoslavia, Hungary, Romania, and sometimes Slovaks. Courtesy as demonstrated here in its formality and insistence on form was for WASPs - and they got their lessons from Captain Kangaroo and Romper Room. We never bought into it. It was never expected of us. 50 years later, when I'm bossin' around the workers, they never question me and they get on it right away.

My favorite part was right near the beginning when the group at the doorway began this bowing business like a bunch of Japanese people. Almost but not quite overdid it....and they all looked a little tentative about it.

Pretty good picture in that it showed me a few things I never knew but will certainly keep in mind at my next afternoon tea. I gotta remember that older woman presented to younger woman thing. And get off the phone in case someone else wants to use it? How about, get off the phone so other calls can come through on the cell tower.

Reviewer: ERD - - February 20, 2006
Subject: Cute little film
A charming little film about manners. Well acted and presented. Perhaps now a little too formal for today's times.

Reviewer: Christine Hennig - - February 18, 2006
Subject: Excuse Me, but May I Comment on This Film, Please?
This early Coronet film features the kid from Dating DoÂs and DonÂts in an earlier role as Bill, a kid who brings his mom to school to show her the class display on courtesy. Mostly, this involves lots of posters made by the kids in the class; these are charmingly realistic, especially the one that exhorts ÂDonÂt be a pig. The rudiments of manners, such as saying Âplease and Âthank you, and making introductions, is demonstrated in a manner that is not too stilted. This is a charmingly innocent film which, rather than being campy, leaves you with the wish that more people nowadays would follow its basic rules of manners.
Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: **. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: *****. Overall Rating: ****.

Reviewer: Karma Hawk - - April 13, 2005
Subject: "Don't be a pig"
Billy and his mom are going to an exibit Billys class his holfing on being curtious, thus sets up another odd social guidance film premise. Ok first of all the word "Open House" is never used for all we know this is being held on a seprate night which I just findd really odd, second the kids look much too old to be involved in such a thing, even if they were studying curtosy they don't look to be the age where they'd be particularly comfrotable showing it off to thier parents in such a way. Another thing that's odd is when the film shows Bill drawing the pictures he needs models for them, which when you see the final pictures you only ask yourself "why?" A facinating movie from Coronet. Viewing this one along with "What Makes a Good Party?" one has to wonder if Coronet did know thier audience at all.

Reviewer: Spuzz - - May 1, 2003
Subject: Billy doesnt get out much.
Billy (Common social guidance film name alert!) and his mom decide to burn up the town by going to the school's courtesy display being held at the school. Now, let's pause for a moment. How much fun could that possibly be? There Billy shows the many drawings that he has "made" which are quite remarkable coming from a individual as him, that demonstrate courtesy. Even more bizarre are the flashback scenes when he uses models to demonstrate the courtesy to draw. Billy and his Mom fawn over the drawings until his teacher wanders over. Billy introduces his Mom to his teacher. That's courtesy, Why? He introduces the older woman to the younger. They both look suspiciously the same age, so one of the women surely would be offended! Many other uses of courtesy are demonstrated, and the whole thing ends. But wait, what is the polite way of saying "Gee son, this is too boring?" (the film isn't THAT boring..)

Shotlist

DISCUSSES COURTESY IN CONNECTION WITH INVITATIONS, TELEPHONE CONVERSATIONS, INTRODUCTION & ENTERTAINING GUESTS.

Ken Smith sez: Possibly the first feature to star John Lindsay, who later achieved immortality as "Woody" in Dating Do's And Don'ts. In this film he plays "Bill Anderson," a young fellow who proudly shows his mother around the "courtesy" displays in his classroom at Sunnyside School. This scenario allows the narrator to teach us the time-worn fundamentals of social courtesy (see As Others See Us and How Do You Do for better examples), but the only thing you'll remember from this film is Woody, who is a much better actor here than he was later in life. A film with lots of potential, but no payoff. Remade by Coronet in 1967. "Mrs. Anderson" later played another mom in Good Table Manners, and "Miss Barton," Bill's teacher, could very well be a robot.

SCHOOLS PARENTS STUDENTS CHILDREN COURTESY DRAWINGS TELEPHONES HANDSHAKES HANDSHAKING INTRODUCTIONS MANNERS Safety Danger Lurks
<BR>